Articles on: Deliverability & compliance

Verify Sending Domain for Email Notifications

Plans: All plans Platforms: All platforms


Overview


Verification of the domain for email notifications ensures that emails get delivered to the inbox, not to the recipient's spam folder. AfterShip provides CNAME entries for domain verification and TXT records for setting up DMARC, so that you can use your business email IDs to build a unique brand experience.


Steps to verify your domain


Please note that only business domains like [email protected] can be verified. Verification is unsupported for free email addresses ending with Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, or AOL to prevent email scams.


Acquire 3 CNAME records from AfterShip Email


  1. Go to the Sender email section of your organization account
  2. You will see your registered email address with the Unverified tag, so click on the Verify domain button in case you want to use it. However, if you have another email address in your mind, tap on the Add email button.


  1. After clicking on the Verify domain button, a popup window will appear with 3 CNAME records, which you need to add to your domain’s DNS settings.


  1. Log in to your DNS provider. Copy the generated CNAME records and add them to the DNS settings of your domain.



Please note that these settings sometimes take a few hours to come into effect.


  1. Once CNAME entries are added successfully, click on the Verify button to finish the domain verification process.
  2. When the status shows Verified, it proves that the domain verification process has been successfully completed.


How to set up DMARC


To set up DMARC, you'll need access to your brand's DNS settings and control over them. Please be aware that collaborating with your IT team or engaging a trusted third-party expert is essential for properly implementing a DMARC policy tailored to meet the specific requirements of your brand.

To set up DMARC, you need to create a DMARC DNS TXT record for your domain. This record tells email receivers what to do with messages that fail SPF and DKIM checks.


The record usually includes the following information:


"v" tag: Specifies the version of DMARC being used (e.g., "v=DMARC1").

"p" tag: Defines the policy for handling failed DMARC checks ("none," "quarantine," or "reject").


Value for “p” tag

When messages fail authentication, inbox providers take certain actions in response

none

Take no action on the message and deliver it to the intended recipient.

quarantine

Mark the messages as spam and send it to the recipient's spam folder.

reject

Reject the message. With this option, the receiving server usually sends a bounce message to the sending server.

"rua" tag (not required): Specifies the email address where aggregate reports should be sent.

"ruf" tag (not required): Specifies the email address where forensic (failure) reports should be sent.


Steps:


  1. Define your DMARC policy: Determine what action you want receivers to take when they receive emails failing DMARC checks. Here's an example of a basic DMARC setting:


Type: TXT

Host: _dmarc

Value: v=DMARC1; p=none


  1. Publish the DMARC record: Once you've generated the DMARC record, publish it by adding it to your DNS settings.


How to verify successful email authentication implementation


One option is to use the DMARC checker provided by EasyDMARC. Simply input your domain into their tool, and you can check if the record is correctly set up by referring to the ‘status’.


Another approach is to examine the header of an email sent by your brand. By analyzing the email headers, you can confirm if your email authentication mechanisms are configured correctly.



If you have any queries, feel free to connect with our support team for quick assistance.

Updated on: 04/06/2025